Electrical circuit elements are commonly housed in packages having a plurality of leads disposed in an array. One such package is a dual-in-line package (DIP) having two rows of leads extending from opposite sides thereof and bent downwardly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,296 discloses a DIP socket for removably mounting a DIP on a circuit board. This socket includes contacts each made from a single piece of metal which is formed into a generally U-shaped configuration. Each of the contacts has dual leaves which provide metal to metal contact on opposite sides of each lead of the DIP.
There is often a need to connect an auxiliary electrical circuit component to the DIP socket along with the DIP package itself. For example, decoupling capacitors are often needed to prevent electrical damage to an integrated circuit package in the event that the package is withdrawn from the socket when power is on.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,633 discloses a DIP socket having a capacitor attached thereto. The socket utilizes contacts of the aforementioned configuration for engaging leads of the DIP and has a further pair of single piece auxiliary contacts dedicated to terminating leads of the capacitor. Each of the auxiliary contacts has a slot which is dimensioned to grip one of the leads of the capacitor between walls of the slot. The auxiliary contacts are housed in the socket with their solder tails being abutted against respective solder tails of power and ground contacts in the socket.
It is a further object of the invention to incorporate an auxiliary electrical component into an existing socket without substantial change to the socket.
These and other objects are accomplished by a socket for an electrical component comprising a dielectric housing having contact retention cavities and contacts disposed in respective ones of the cavities. At least two of the contacts each comprise a generally U-shaped configuration having first and second legs with a transverse element joining together said legs. An extension of the first leg is bent back toward the second leg and arranged to engage a lead of the electrical component. A tab sheared from a center portion of the transverse element and the first leg extends downwardly from the second leg through an aperture in a bottom of its respective cavity, thereby defining a slot in the center portion of the transverse element and the first leg. An auxiliary electrical component mounted on the socket has at least two leads each of which is electrically terminated to a respective one of the at least two contacts by engagement between sides of the slot in its respective contact.